


Sphinx's Revelation

by AngelDustApocalypse



Category: Magic: The Gathering
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Slow Burn, Transformation, dunno what to tag this even, gotta slowly build up to that Zeleren
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2020-06-26 03:13:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19759426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelDustApocalypse/pseuds/AngelDustApocalypse
Summary: In the wake of an assassination attempt, Jace is hospitalized and stricken with strange symptoms; from mundane shaking and narcolepsy, to is appearance changing in strange ways. The Guild Council is duty-bound to watch over him, and currently Ral Zarek is doing that duty; their past animosity from the Maze is going to have to be pushed aside as a forgotten clause of the failsafe that made Jace the Living Guildpact is triggered...





	1. Riddleform

**Author's Note:**

> Been sitting on this idea for about a year, so finally putting it down in words. Kind of a weird one, but hopefully enjoyable!

Jace was rapidly coming to the conclusion that shaky hands and pots of ink didn’t mix.

He had dropped the pen several times now, and he was certain that the nursing staff were going to rip him a new one for the big black stain now blotting the sheets, and papers kept slipping off of the pile balanced precariously on the tray he had placed over his lap. He was also very, very aware of the grey eyes currently boring into his head as he stared down at his work.

The Guild Council had been taking turns watching over him (babysitting, more like) in the wake of the little… incident that had landed him in medical care, and it was current the Izzet representative, Ral Zarek’s week. The man was none too pleased about it, either, judging by the stormy thoughts coming off him in waves, and the stink-eye he’d been giving Jace the entire day so far. He wasn’t sure if it was because the storm mage was still angry about the maze, or because he kept dropping things. Maybe both.

The other man eventually broke the silence when Jace dropped his pen again, sending another spatter of ink over the sheets, his voice tinged with annoyance, but more gentle than Jace had been expecting.

"I don't think that anyone would begrudge you for putting off your paperwork a bit longer. At least get some help with it..."

“I’m fine,” Jace mumbled in reply, collecting his pen and carefully dipping it again, cursing under his breath as he trembling in his fingers worsened. He heard Zarek sigh, then the clatter of his boots as he pushed off the wall he had been leaning on and walked over. The pen and inkpot were taken from him before he could protest, set on the bedside table.

"You don't look very fine to me. Come on, you should still be taking it easy. Ravnica needs you at your best," the storm mage said, sounding almost reluctant to be admitting that. No matter how he had felt at the time, Ravnica _did_ need Beleren now; he was the Guildpact Incarnate, and nothing anyone could do was going to stop that.

“The doctor says I’m doing better,” Jace mumbled back, eyes flicking up to look Ral in the face for a moment. The storm mage was briefly struck with how… blue they were. That seemed a bit abnormal, surely he should have larger pupils than that? They almost looked slitted. Was that a side effect of the sleeping spell he had been under?

But whatever. Ral carefully gathered up that stack of papers, too, setting that aside along with the tray. The ink-stained sheets were a bit bothersome, but he could just call for a nurse to replace them, he supposed.

“Better doesn't mean in good enough shape to do this. You're shaking like a leaf and you’re going to end up spilling ink all over these papers."

Jace just huffed softly and folded his hands in his lap to hide how bad they were trembling, and Ral sighed. It had been about a week since the incident, and Jace was indeed doing better, but he still had a long way to go. He still remembered how scary it had been to hear the news that a would-be assassin had forced their way past the haphazard guard and made an attempt on the new Guildpact’s life. Despite how… unpleasant his early interactions with Jace had been, he loved Ravnica and her peace more than he was bitter about losing, it seemed, and the day the Council had spent standing vigil while healers worked to undo the potent sleeping spell had been nerve wracking. It seems like the spell had left quite a few side effects, too, given the shaking, difficulty walking, and narcolepsy the young man had been left with. That would go away soon, hopefully.

"Look, I get it. You're probably bored out of your skull. I don’t think I could deal with being stuck in bed for a whole week, either,” Ral said surprisingly gently. The look Jace gave him in return made his chest twist slightly, the strange, unbidden urge to stroke the little telepath’s hair rising in the back of his mind, but he shoved it away quickly.

 _Not the time nor the person, Zarek,_ he told himself.

Jace finally talking again served well enough to distract him from that line of thought, though, even if he only caught half of what the telepath was saying.

“...go outside. Some fresh air would be nice.”

He blinked, but it was enough context to figure out what he wanted; some time in the courtyard. Fair enough, that couldn’t hurt at all. Might help his own boredom as well as Jace’s, too; watching him try and do paperwork was not how he wanted to spend his day. Jace was still looking up at him, and he was distracted again by those eyes; they weren’t always like that, were they? The pupils were definitely slitted now that he looked. Weird. Jace was fully human, wasn’t he…?

“Ral?”

“Oh! Uh, yeah, sorry, sort of… Got distracted, there. Yeah, I’ll go find a doctor and ask if I can take you outside. It should be fine, yeah? I mean, nobody is going to try something that stupid again, right? Especially with me there,” he said, puffing out his chest a bit before heading out of the room to find someone to talk to.

The hospital was sort of small, an Azorius-run thing that was mostly used to high-ranking Senate members to lay low when sick or injured. All on one floor, it had neatly numbered rooms and immaculate marble halls, and a small courtyard in the middle; that would be the best place to take Jace if we wanted air. He has being kept in the highest-security wing, which meant no windows, and no balcony.

A few minutes of wandering led him to find a vedalken doctor in white robes, who seemed surprised to see him away from the Guildpact. A quick discussion (and a scolding for abandoning his post) late, Ral had netted himself a wheelchair and permission to take Jace outside. All in all a victory, despite having to endure being told off by an Azorius doctor. He sauntered back to the room (the one with 71 on the door, he remembered that much) with the chair, pushing the door open and announcing his presence cheerily.

The way Jace’s face lit up at the sight of him and the chair made that place in his chest ache again, which he did his best to ignore. Not the time. Just help Jace into the chair and take him outside, nothing else. He offered his hand to the smaller man, who took it gratefully; his legs were still weak, wobbly.

“Here, let’s get you all set…” Ral muttered, easily supporting Jace’s weight into the chair. He was so small… He looked much younger than he did when dressed in his blues and cloak, and he must use illusions to make himself look fit or something, given how different he looked close up like this. Almost cute.

Jace leaned back into the chair and shut his eyes once he was settled, resting his bare feet on the footrest. Ral noted one of his toes was missing, and wondered for a second how that happened; Jace wasn’t the type for physical fighting, so much have been something else. His bare arms, too, were exposed by the white bedclothes he had been dressed in, showing the lines of arcane tattoos and exposing thinner pale lines that must have been scars, a particularly nasty one down his right forearm that was straight and clean. His wrists were slender, and he had delicate, thin fingered hands, archivist’s hands, which currently clutched onto the arms of the wheelchair. He must not be used to missing both gloves. All in all, Jace’s appearance close-up was an enigma of sorts, and Ral was itching to crack into it, against his better judgment.

The way to get outside was fairly short, for an Azorius building, and he only had to pass two checkpoints, showing both his Guild locket and Council badge at each one. The courtyard was really quite lovely considering it was in an Azorius building, he had to admit; the grass was neatly trimmed and the benches were in perfect alignment, but the trees and flowers were lavish and filled the area with a sweet smell.

He parked Jace’s wheelchair next to a bench that was a few feet away from a flowering plum tree, and gently tapped his shoulder in case he had fallen asleep on the way. The younger man woke with a bit of a jolt, making a making a funny little noise as he did so, almost a purr. Ral cocked an eyebrow; did Jace always make that noise? Has anyone? One more for the pile of things he wasn’t sure if they were normal for Jace or not, he supposed.

“Here we go, this is much better, huh?” he said to Jace, making a vague, sweeping motion with one hand toward all the plants.

“Yeah… Thank you,” the Guildpact replied, shutting his eyes and taking a deep breath. It was fairly sunny out, the natural light illuminating just how pale the young man was, how fluffy and brown his hair was under that hood. The sun was even making little spots on his cheeks and nose visible… Freckles? Ral couldn’t even tell he had those normally, what with his face in shadow most of the time. They were… cute.

“Looks like you needed it,” Ral muttered, wetting his lips, which he had just noticed were dry. Weird.

“Yeah… Was I always so pale? I never noticed,” Jace said softly, leaning forward in the chair and slouching slightly. 

“I guess you just keep yourself covered up most of the time."

Jace just smiled crookedly in reply, and then made movements to try and get up out of the chair. Ral hovered nearby, feeling oddly worried about his charge, ready to catch him if he fell, but the young man managed to stay upright, even if he was wobbly. His bare feet plodded in the grass carefully, each step measured and careful, one foot in front of the other until he was standing just under the boughs of the plum tree. Pink and white petals fluttered down from the branches, a few sticking to Jace’s fluffy brown hair, no doubt from the residual static that cloaked everything Ral touched.

Reaching up, he gently pulled one of the branches down to bury his face in the sweet scent of the flowers, sending even more flecks of pink swirling around him to the ground, joined by yellowish dabs of pollen in Jace’s hair and on his bedclothes. Ral couldn’t help but smile a bit as he watched, finding the display rather endearing; Jace was… Cute. He could admit that without it getting weird, he figured. You can think people are cute, even if you don’t like them, right?

But… Maybe he did like Jace. He really isn't that bad... He remembered how worried he was when they almost lost him, and it wasn't just because the Guildpact would be broken. When was the last time he felt like someone else was on his level? Someone he could actually call a friend? Probably why he felt like, despite that he really doesn’t owe Beleren anything, he didn't mind taking care of him like this…

He realised he was staring when he finally shook out of his thoughts to notice Jace was looking right at him, from just over the blossoms spilling around his head. Those eyes… The cat-slit pupils were getting unsettling, and combined with the faint noise (purring?) that was coming off Jace…

Something strange was going on.


	2. Mask of Riddles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiatus over? Perhaps! Enjoy some more of whatever this is.

Nighttime on Ravnica was never really quiet, at least where Ral had come from. It made him unused to the hospital, filled with the manufactured silence of the Azorius. He wasn’t sure if it was due to being nestled in a more controlled part of the city, or some kind of spell, but it was on the edge of maddening. 

The quiet also gave him time to think. Usually, with the hiss of boilers and the noise of work and machinery all around him, he didn’t have time to reminisce over much more than the job at hand, mind spinning with formulas and blueprints. But no work, and no other researchers coming to him for advice or requests from the boss, left him with much time to mull over things he hadn’t touched in a long time.

He didn’t like hospitals. The clean halls and smell of medicine reminded him too much of things he didn’t like to think about, things too tender to look at despite how old they were. Didn’t help much that he had never seen a place of this high quality until he was an adult, and made him think that maybe if there had been someplace like this back home, it would have -

No, shove that thought aside. Don’t dwell on the past. He had much more immediate issues to deal with. Like whatever was going on with Beleren (Jace?) right now. Still no word on what was causing any of this, doctors and mages alike baffled. There’d been talk about bringing in a Simic doctor to take a look, which (for some reason) he found a little annoying. Was he not good enough?! Though he had to admit, he wasn’t a _medical_ doctor. Oh well.

He tried to empty his mind, which was harder than it seemed like it should be, and let the quiet wash over him, as unsettling as he found it.

The silence was periodically broken, though, by the laboured breathing of the Guildpact, which he wasn’t sure was much better. He was running a fever, and required monitoring, which was why he was still here. He got to his feet, carefully replacing the damp cloth that had been draped over the young man’s forehead. A careful, practiced motion he hadn’t needed instruction to perform, and didn’t really think much of. He sat back down next to the bed and picked up the newspaper he had been idly flipping through.

He didn’t get more than a paragraph into some article about the mushroom farm production boom before a groan and the sound of the hospital bed creaking startled him out of it, putting it down again to see Jace curl on his side, pillow clutched in his arms and held tight against his chest. 

“Krokt… Jace?”

His reply was in the form of a sound partway between moan and growl, prompting the storm mage to get to his feet again in alarm. He tried to gently encourage the Guildpact to uncurl from the ball he had wadded himself into, but when the young man bit down into the pillow with a faint tearing noise, he drew back slightly. What in the hells…?

He caught a glimpse of a rip in the fabric, of the Guildpact’s new elongated canines that had done the damage. It was… alarming. What was even happening here..? He gently shook Jace’s shoulder, grunting faintly in surprise when one eye snapped open, solid blue aside from the blown-out black pupil that took up much of it. He was breathing heavily, and took a second to focus, but he soon relaxed, grip on the pillow easing.

“...Ral?”

“...Yeah?”

“...Hurts. Everywhere…”

“Do you want me to get a doctor…?”

There was a short pause. Jace stared quietly down at the torn pillow, eyes slowly focusing, pupils shrinking into slits.

“...No.”

Ral grimaced. Jace was being stubborn, and he didn’t want to encourage that, but...

“At least let me see. Open your mouth,” he said firmly, moving to sit on the side of the bed. It took a bit of effort, but he managed to tilt Jace’s head and pry his mouth open, examining his teeth. They were sharp alright, canines long and slightly curved, and a few other teeth slightly pointed, too. His front teeth seemed to be smaller than average too, which was weird. Strange teeth, cat teeth.

Jace’s tongue rasped against Ral’s fingers as he fussed, and it was rough. He took his hands away abruptly.

“I’m getting a damned doctor, Jace. I have no idea what’s going on here, but it’s weird, and you’re getting help,” he stated, getting up off the bed.

“No-”

But Ral was out the door before he could protest much more. 

* * *

Ral watched the vedalken doctor examine Jace’s mouth with gloved hands, and seeming to come to the same conclusion he had; Jace’s teeth were unsettlingly feline. He took a few notes on the Guildpact’s chart, then tucked it away carefully before addressing both Ral and the quite ruffled Jace.

“I will admit, I don’t have any answers at the moment for what’s causing this. Our lawmages have examined the material of the spell that was used on you, and it couldn’t possibly cause any of these changes. Representative Vorel of the Simic Combine was offering to send in one of his Guild’s doctors for assistance, and I’m thinking taking him up on that offer is in our best interest.” 

Ral nodded, while Jace said nothing, focusing on smoothing himself out, seeming quite annoyed at being handled. Ral could sympathise, sure, but it was for his own benefit, so he was having trouble feeling too bad for going against the Guildpact’s request. At least it seemed the fever had broken somewhere in there. He was already looking better, despite the weirdness of the situation.

The doctor left to send a message to the Combine, and Ral could feel Jace’s eyes boring holes in the back of his head. He half-turned, meeting those big blue eyes, and sighed.

“Don’t be that way. I know hospitals and doctors suck, but you need to let them examine you if you want to get better.”

“I don’t think any of them can fix this, even the Simic one they’re going to foist on me,” Jace replied bitterly, making both Ral’s eyebrows raise. He was sensing some hostility there, interesting.

“If you have a better idea, I’m all ears.”

Jace’s gaze lowered to his lap, and Ral felt a pang of guilt. He wasn’t in much place to judge if the young man was uncomfortable here, given his own hangups, his thoughts from earlier in the evening coming back to mind before being forced down again. He sat down lightly on the edge of the bed, doing his best to sort the strange, prickly emotions in his chest. Offering some comfort would be good right about now, right? Strictly as a friend, or associate, or whatever was going on here, of course.

This close, he could see those freckles he had noticed the other day, and a pang of… something went through his chest. So damn cute. Jace was looking at him, wary but curious, as if wanting to see where this would go. He wondered if the young man was reading his mind right now, but he figured he would notice such a thing, right? Especially after having experienced his mind-probing in full force not that long ago, really. 

Jace said something, but it was too short, too quiet to make out fully. He didn’t repeat it, instead casting his gaze down again, cheeks flushed slightly. _From the fever,_ Ral assumed, using the back of his hand to press gently against the young man’s cheek, testing his temperature. Warm, but not hot. He swallowed, keeping his hand there a bit longer, before - boldly, stupidly - letting it move up to thread through Jace’s fluffy brown hair. 

It was soft, light. He exposed an ear (slightly pointed, another mysterious change) and counted the number of bands and rings in it idly (three, an impressive number), before drawing his hand away. Jace was looking up at him with a wide-eyed expression he didn’t know how to read, and he replied with a crooked, awkward grin. _Too forward?_

“You should get some sleep now,” he said to try and dispel the strange feeling in the air, and Jace just nodded, adjusting the blankets and new pillow he’d been given idly. 

He went back to the newspaper, reading it but not taking in a damn word as he waited until Jace was finally asleep. He had some things to think about, it seemed. The least of which being what appeared to be the Guildpact's slow transformation into Azor-knows-what.


End file.
